


Cold

by Keenler1112



Category: The Blacklist (US TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:39:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27840124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keenler1112/pseuds/Keenler1112
Summary: For the purposes of an investigation, Agents Keen and Ressler go to an abandoned restaurant where their suspect may have been hiding. When a trap closes on them, leaving them prisoners in the restaurant's cold room, the minutes are counted. Will the team arrive in time to save them?
Relationships: Elizabeth Keen & Donald Ressler, Elizabeth Keen/Donald Ressler
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	Cold

**Author's Note:**

> Hello ! Here's my third story. It takes place towards the end of season 7, at least before season 8. Katarina is one of the good guys even if she is just mentioned here.  
> Enjoy !!

The task force was in the middle of a very complicated case. The blacklister was impossible to find and left very little hints behind. Reddington had given them the file a week earlier and they were at a standstill. Cooper had suggested that the team take a little break, leaving them the weekend to individually think about the case. They all agreed, spending the weekend taking a step back from the case to come back more rested on Monday morning. Everyone had arrived early, new ideas in mind, and Aram finally found a lead. An abandoned restaurant, rather far from the center, where the suspect could have found refuge to flee the police.

Cooper had sent Don and Liz to the place around 6 p.m. that day. They arrived about 1 hour later and began to search the area carefully. After visiting the rooms and the first floor, the investigators only had to secure the kitchens. Everything was quiet when they got downstairs, and they were almost convinced there was no one else in the building. Arriving at the entrance to the kitchens, they had in front of them a large back room with a half-open door at the back. The two agents were advancing towards this door, being attracted by a dull light. They entered the room, and then discovered a large cold room, shelves on the sides, probably serving food when the restaurant was still open. A thump alerted them and Don and Liz both turned to see the door of the cold room slam shut, with them still inside. They rushed for the door, desperately trying to open it again, without success.

"Damn it !!!"  
"Calm down, we'll find a way out of here."  
"And how ? Do you know how to make the doors disappear?"

Liz looked up at Ressler. She had known he was claustrophobic since he was six and a half when his brother had locked him in a cupboard. His mother had found him an hour later, terrified and since then he had carefully avoided all the cramped places.

"Sorry, I'm not a big fan of confined spaces."  
"I know, don't worry, we're gonna get out of here."

Don quickly met Liz's gaze, tacitly thanking her for understanding him so well, as usual. After several minutes of intensive efforts to open the door, and absolutely no progress, the two agents looked for another way out of this room. Liz looked at her phone hopefully but was quickly disappointed to find that there were no networks. Don did the same and was also disappointed. The minutes passed slowly neither of them really had an idea to go out. There was no emergency exit, no hatch, no ventilation outlet. They had no choice but to wait until their team noticed their absence and worried enough to come and check on the restaurant. The problem was, it was already quite late and Cooper had told them to go home after searching the restaurant. The team wouldn't notice their absence until the next morning. Especially since Katarina had offered to pick up Agnes from school that evening and keep her for the night knowing that Liz was in the middle of a big case. So no one was going to notice their absence and they were both stuck in a cold room for the night. Of all the places they could have been stuck, a cold room was really not something desirable. Yet if they had had to choose, they wouldn't have chosen anyone else to block with. 

The first hour passed and the cold began to be felt. They had tried several times to check their phone but without any results and the door still did not move. They had no hope of any rescue as the restaurant was in a particularly isolated location. Time passed slower and slower and minutes turned into hours. This time allowed them to think about the case but their minds quickly lost their way and silence soon reigned in the cold room. At the stroke of 12:30 am, the cold was really becoming a problem. Being in the middle of summer, Liz was only wearing a T-shirt and she was really starting to regret that she hadn't taken a jacket with her that morning. Don wore his traditional costume, but even his jacket couldn't stop the cold. 

Around 3 a.m., their minds were hazy. They both knew that falling asleep right now was not an option but the cold was starting to get the worst. They were both sitting against one of the walls of the room, against each other hoping to get some warmth. Don had taken off his jacket and handed it to Liz.She had refused at first, assuring him that she was fine and that he was as cold as she was. She had no choice but to accept it though, when he straightened up and put his jacket on Liz's shoulders. Silence then covered the room again for several hours. At around 6 a.m. Don turned his head to Liz only to find in dread that her eyes were closed. He woke her hastily, afraid it was already too late. He had never been so relieved as when she opened her eyes and gazed into his. Liz unconsciously took refuge in his arms and he hugged her like it was the last thing that could save them. They knew they still had a few hours to wait. The office did not open until 7:00 am, and by the time the officers noticed their absence and sent in reinforcements the worst could happen. Don felt his strength slowly leaving him but wanted to hold out for Liz to the end. After all, he was her tiny island of calm and it was a role he took very seriously, so he had no right to let her down. 

The hours passed again and on the side of the task force, the absence of the two agents was felt. Cooper had sent Alina with a team to the scene to check if all was well, having no news of the two missing teammates and not knowing where else to start. When the team arrived at the scene, they carried out the same search as Don and Liz the day before. One of the agents then noticed the door at the back of the kitchen. All the agents rushed in and smashed the door. As soon as they saw them, one of the agents left to call for help while the others carefully pulled Don and Liz out of the room. They were both asleep, huddled together, Don's arms tightly around Liz. It didn't take long for help to arrive, taking charge of the two agents while Alina had called Cooper to explain the situation to him. The latter then gave him a possible new location for the suspect, then agreeing to catch the blacklister before joining Liz and Don and breaking the good news. For their part, they had been declared severely hypothermic, and moved to a heated room with survival blankets and IVs. Liz was the first to wake up about 4 hours later, slowly becoming aware of her surroundings. She was in a light and fairly spacious room with two large windows. She looked to her right and then noticed a second bed in which Ressler was sleeping peacefully. Just a few minutes later, Don opened his eyes and after a second, turned his head and met Liz's gaze.

"Hey."  
"Hi."

Her voice was so small that he wouldn't have heard it if he didn't know every frequency by heart. He noticed then that she suppressed a shiver.

"Still cold?"  
"A little."  
"Come here."

Liz hesitated for a second but felt another shiver and decided to join him. He lifted the covers and she settled herself against him, her head against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. Comfortably seated in his arms she felt the warmth invade her and she sighed contentedly. He traced light patterns on her back, and although a fabric parted his fingers from Liz's skin, she loved the feeling. If she had been told 8 years ago that now she would be in Donald Ressler's arms and that this was the place she preferred to be in the world, she would never have believed it. And yet, that was precisely the case, and she believed that nothing could embellish this moment. Until he kisses her. It was short but so sweet and Liz had never known anything so wonderful. They moved their faces a few inches away without leaving their embrace. Don was slightly worried, he was afraid he had done the wrong thing and scared her away. He loved her, he had been sure for a long time now but if she didn't feel the same way he would just mess it up with her and he wasn't sure he could live without her. Liz put an end to all his worries by kissing him back, just as tenderly. Their kiss lasted a little longer this time, and after a smile Liz snuggled back into his arms, safer than ever. 

What they hadn't noticed was that their team were standing at the window that looked out onto the hallway, each with a smile on their faces, more than happy that they had finally taken this new step in their lives. Alina turned to Aram and he handed her the $ 20 she had won betting that Liz and Don would get together. He turned to the sleeping couple again, satisfied that his friends had finally admitted their feelings to each other.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it, thanks for reading !


End file.
